Welcome to our blog!

I have loved sharing the "Why I Relay" stories from cancer survivors, caretakers, family members & friends. It has been a great space for me to share my ongoing story as my aunt fights her battle against cancer. I have gotten overwhelming support & love from such great readers! I am so happy though that the blog will officially have it's own home! I'll be managing the blog and I'll still continue to share my story! I hope you get the chance to read inspirational stories as we open this up nationwide! Visit it here: http://www.whyirelayblog.com/We want to hear everybody's experiences so we can help others as they embark on their journeys. My goal for this blog is to create a safe space, an outlet, a support group for anybody and everybody! Please come by, show your support and consider sharing your story if you have one! http://www.whyirelayblog.com/

﻿﻿﻿For as long as I can remember, Derek Jeter has been a part of my life...﻿﻿﻿

﻿I grew up in a house where we regularly watched Yankees games or listened to them on the radio if we were outside. We frequented games during the season and cheer on our Bronx Bombers. It was always the norm to be surrounded by such pride for the pinstripes.﻿

﻿Jeter began his career when I was about five years old, and along with countless other fans, I adored him. His pure talent & grace on the field astonished me, and quite honestly, it still does. ﻿

I own countless pieces of Yankee & Jeter memorabilia, and some of my favorite pieces are rookie baseball cards & MVP cards of his. I remember buying them on vacation with my own money, knowing their worth even as a kid. I spent $15 on each card, which seemed like so much money at the time, but it was worth it. They are still displayed, protected, in my room over a dozen years later.

Some of my favorite summer memories as a kid revolved around the love of the game. I idolized the Yankees and the sport in general. Because of that pure love, us kids would spend hours playing catch, running around our bases or having home run derby's in our back yard. We spent our nights watching the games on TV, cheering & hoping for a win. Proud fans dedicated to our one and only team year after year.

﻿My love for the game, inspired me to play more than just in the back yard.. I naturally focused on playing shortstop just like the player I looked up to most, along with other infield positions. Playing for nearly 10 years made me happy. I wasn't the best by any means, but I loved playing the game, improving and having a great time with my team mates. ﻿

﻿Now, 20 years after beginning his professional career, the man is coming full circle, ending one of the most incredible athletic careers anybody has seen. When you strip away the NY logo, his iconic #2, and the pinstripes, there is no denying the talent this man has. Fans of any team, any sport can recognize that regardless who they cheer for at the end of the day.﻿

﻿His ambition & determination to be the best player he can be has inspired more people than he will know. The way Jeter plays the game drew me in & made me fall in love, but it's his drive that is a continuous inspiration, a force to be reckoned with. His passion for the game is a reminder to keep moving forward, keep improving, keep chasing my dreams. If a boy from Kalamazoo can make his dreams a reality, so can all of us.﻿

﻿You may not be a sports fan, a baseball fan, a Yankees fan or a Jeter fan, but recognizing that we should all chase our dreams to make them come true just like Jeter did, is important. Let him be a reminder that talent paired with drive, hope and courage to dream, is a threat to all of those who have told us that we aren't good enough, who said we can't. ﻿

﻿Dare to dream and be brave enoughto make those dreams come true. Don't forget about the re2pect either, for yourself, your dreams & others chasing theirs.

Here are some tips I found for a glitter tipped manicure & how to get all that tricky glitter off your nails!

Glitter Tipped Manicure

- First, paint your nails how you normally would and let them totally dry!-I made the mistake of doing the next part without my nails completely dried and I had to take off the polish and re start! Bummer!

-Once their completely dry, take a small piece of your tape and place it on your nail, leaving as much room as you'd like for the glittery tip!-You can use a solid color tip too!-The original tutorial said to add regular glitter, but I stuck with a glittered polish. - Simply paint over the tape and your nail. Don't glop it on, make sure you're still painting it on how your normally paint your nails!

-Final step! Slowly pull off the tape starting at one side to the next. Don't wait for the nail polish to dry though, or you'll pull it all off! -When it dries, top off your nails with a clear coat and you're done!

Mine weren't perfect, but it's the best results I've gotten from a French tip on my own!

﻿Removing Glitter Polish﻿

If you've tried it before, you know as well as I do that removing glitter nail polish is such an annoying task! It takes scrubbing and eventually I give up and chip off the remainder. I found this tutorial that tremendously helped get glitter off pretty well!

-Once you're done prepping, put some nail polish on a cotton ball, place it on your nail & wrap one piece of aluminum foil around it. -Do this for your entire hand (I decided to do one hand at a time).-Then, set your timer for just 5 minutes.-Relax while you're waiting!

-After the 5 minutes is done, remove the aluminum foil and the cotton balls. I still had some glitter on my nails but it easy came off with a few swipes of the cotton ball.-Repeat with your other hand and you're all done!-Make sure to wash your hands well after to get everything off!

Experiment, have fun & show us what you come up with!

I always hate when I mess up tweezing and end up with 2 mis matched brows. And it happens quite often!

I have a hard time finding the right shape for my face. But I have an even harder time making sure both brows are even. I don't like complicated arches, I'm able to do the first, then the second all falls apart! I found this great & simple tutorial from the one and only Lauren Conrad to help give you great brows! Click the image to help you get closer to great brows!

After I tweezed my way out of quite bushy eyebrows (I had to grow them out after a bad tweezing incident), I decided I wanted to give shading them in a try. I've recently seen in many places tutorials about shading them in, but I figured I'd try it out!

So, I found this easy tutorial from, what else but Pinterest! I went a little lighter on the eyebrow pencil, the shade I had didn't match so well. But overall I loved it! I really noticed a difference, but not in a "Oh man, look how much makeup she's wearing!" type of way! It's definitely something I'll be adding to my daily routine, it's easy & quick; just how I like my makeup regimen!

Check out my brows before tweezing, after shaping them with LC's tutorial & lastly with them shaded in!

Sorry if the closeups of me makeupless are a touch scary!

Hope everybody can find their way to better brows!Share with me your best tips!

Author

My name is Kristina and I'm the founder of Love Struck. Read about how Love Struck came to be, see how I make it happen or just read a random thought I just might have! Anything can happen at our blog & I wouldn't have it any other way! It's time to get Love Struck, and what better way to start than right here!